IDA
Sad video and a brave man. On the Pacific coast of Canada there is some balance being restored. A study sponsored by the government forund that sustainable forest products like mushrooms, berries, bark and root products provided a more stable and higher tax base than the once every 30 years rush of logging income that lasted less than a year in each spot. Still, the logging goes on at a reduced rate because it's what people know.

Are people unable to imagine alternatives? I'm not sure. Careless selfishness might be a human attribute but I don't think it's a given that people have to pass it along. You can think your way beyond not caring but not if you've lost the habit of thinking. Without imagining a different world not action can take place. Is there a role in education to help encourage people to be more complete or is that beyond our mandate?

It seems natural that change would originate in the younger generations not already too deeply into the habits of disconnection. Feels like a missed opportunity to invest all our time and educational dollars passing on an indifferent, spiritless view of what humans can potentially be.

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p772And... what is teaching?:2012-06-06T16:55:40+00:00Ida Brandao

Brazil is a growing country and in a near future an important one.

Last monday we've promoted a public session on freeware for blind people (I work in a central department of the Ministry of Education, in Special Needs Education, involved in technology), and we had 3 teachers from Brazil that have developed some products (Braille Fácil, Dirce, Dosvox, MusiBraille, Monet Pintor Braille, etc).

The Association of Blinds and some blind people with their guide dogs were participating. The country scale of Brazil and Portugal is that of a giant and a dwarf, we were comparing the number of blind people and we have about 160.000, while they have 5 million. The town of São Paulo has about 14 million people, more population than the whole Portugal.

But Brazil has still much poverty and some parts of the country are out of control of the Government.

Last year one of the resistants (Zé Cláudio) to the timber interests in Amazonia was murdered with his wife. A year before he had spoken at this TEDxAmazonia, announcing that he was sentenced to death - http://youtu.be/78ViguhyTwQ

It's a moving 10 minute talk (there's an english translation).

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p766And... what is teaching?:2012-06-06T15:11:10+00:00Scott Johnson

Hi Ida,

Sounds like a very challenging society to grow up in.

Even in the US there wasn't much autonomy in the 60's when I was in school. There were elaborate rules and organizational structures that made school almost its own country. It was pretended that us students were free citizens of this place but really, it was just there, foreign and unapproachable. I think we got in trouble just to get a human response but even the consequences were already worked out.

Every once in a while you'd wonder what it was all about.

Have a couple of Paulo Freire's books I've yet to read. When we lived on Vancouver Island there were stories about union volunteers traveling into the logging camps up the coast to teach general literacy courses in the evenings. Logging companies didn't like it. What was more dangerous, the union or the learning?

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p764What is Learning for you?:2012-06-06T13:54:00+00:00Apostolos Koutropoulos

Hmmm..... you know... I am sure someone can figure out a way to make that happen ;-)

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=5#p762And... what is teaching?:2012-06-06T10:06:56+00:00Ida Brandao

Dear Scott,

I think there are different problems in Education nowadays, comparing to my own experience in school. Not only because I'm a senior (58), but also for the fact that I attended school during dictatorship. The context was highly disciplinary and authoritarian. Respect and fear were pretty much imposed. It was a very opressive environment. I played in conformity and had no major problems along my schooling days. But I don't have good memories of those times, never enjoyed school.

When I think about that, I feel a kind of revolt, because learning should be enjoyable, as when we read a good book that gives us pleasure and a sense of fulfillment.

At the time, learning was about memory and repeating by heart answers for tests and exams, even if you didn't understand the meaning. In fact, many people still consider that as «knowledge». TV programs still promote that kind of contests, different questions for different themes. Popular culture.

Unfortunately, the school system keeps assessing on the basis of «right» and «wrong». It's easier, we can have automated ways to do it. I suppose the americans have a particular responsibility with their multiple-choice questions and quizzes. I was surprised that such instruments remain popular even in the recent MOOC «Instructional Ideas...» of Prof. Bonk. Polls seem also popular and have been revived with the digital whiteboards. A way of getting the participation of pupils. I confess I'm not very enthusiastic about these approaches.

In what regards Higher Education it has always been a different scenario, since it deals with adult students with more autonomy and more responsibility. You are supposed to have more maturity and there's room for choice. It's quite different when you are learning on a compulsory basis.

Teaching adults is different, even when you are dealing with basic literacy. With the revolution in Portugal (1974) a civic and voluntary movement took over the society. We had high levels of illiteracy and there was a need to use adult learning methodologies that were inspired by the brasilian Paulo Freire. To learn to write and read was contextualized in the community, was about raising citizenship awareness. It was a pedagogy for the opressed, a liberating pedagogy - http://youtu.be/2A3HpAUHw40

Nice to remember those times of belief in the deep change of society. A better world for all!

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p755And... what is teaching?:2012-06-06T06:32:35+00:00Jenny Mackness

Great story Scott!

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p753And... what is teaching?:2012-06-05T19:39:17+00:00Scott Johnson

Hi Ida,

Remember seeing a Public TV show on the experiments. Frightening what people can do.

I've had some bad teachers that were mostly displaying signs of boredom and disinterest. One was quite nasty and particularly adept at torturing you in public on your stupidity in his subject. But he wasn’t the norm.

As a kid, I had a fairly rounded exposure to good and bad officials. Elementary school was spent mostly on the bench in front of the principals office or in quiet study sessions in the "detention hall." Also enjoyed helping the janitor clean-up to things us kids did to the school walls.

Middle and high school I kept my head down. Most of the teachers were battle weary veterans a million smart-assed comments and it was very difficult to get their attention.

A while back I calculated the split between times in my guidance councilors office and the probation officer's room at the police station. The councilor was fine for someone steering the fates of over 300 students per semester--just stunned a bit. The probation officer was quite good showing interest in all the things you were up to. Had to pay close attention to him.

Funny, teachers were totally uninterested in your observations outside what they had assigned and the police were Very interested in your extra-curricular pastimes.

To my mind, teachers didn't seem professionally interested in the kids. Maybe they should train at the police academy?

Some of this has to do with power and some with plain old professional burn out. Our admin boss also supervises faculty as part of her job and we can tell when it wears on her. She's an enthusiastic person who expects you to try things at the best of your ability and many of our teachers resist this. They seem tired. Never having been in a position to tell teachers what to do (officially), I might have an incomplete view?

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p749What is Learning for you?:2012-06-05T18:41:02+00:00Scott Johnson

Sounds like MobiMooc would be interesting. Could I do it by texting:-)?

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=5#p747What is Learning for you?:2012-06-05T13:33:06+00:00Apostolos Koutropoulos

There is a new mobiMOOC coming this September :-) Plenty time to become mobile :-)

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=5#p735And... what is teaching?:2012-06-05T08:44:29+00:00Ida Brandao

Dear Scott,

Though I have a very critical position regarding the administration (and I've always been a civil servant), I don't have a romantic idea about many teachers viewpoints. I sometimes find them too conservative and self-defensive of their own interests. For many is just a job that guarantees an income to get going.

I have observed many teachers coming to work to the central and regional administration, changing viewpoints very easily.

So, it's all about context and power. Once you are empowered in a new position, regarded with higher status, you have people enforcing what they were very critical beforehand.

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p731What is Learning for you?:2012-06-05T02:25:56+00:00Vanessa Vaile

I really enjoyed following the mobiMOOC group ~ interesting discussions and materials that I shared an ESL instructor interested in mobile learning. Good dynamics. Admittedly, I felt just a bit silly being there because I'm not mobile, but never unwelcome. It was one the most interesting MOOCs I've followed... first time I regretted not being mobile.... maybe eventually

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=5#p723And... what is teaching?: What would you keep?2012-06-04T15:28:25+00:00Scott Johnson

We talk about change a lot in education which often draws the conversation towards abstractions. Many of you are entering the teaching profession for the first time and have fresh training and new ideas to contribute to an honored profession. Most of the "new" ideas that power alternative schools are adaptations of principals that have been with us for a long time and don't need change so much as a chance to evolve.

What would you bring over from your training and experience that may seem old fashioned but captures your sense of what it means to be a great teacher?

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p715What is Learning for you?:2012-06-04T14:24:51+00:00Apostolos Koutropoulos

Thanks for the congrats :-)

The team formed last year near the end of MobiMOOC. Initially we were all trying to find out how the group dynamics worked. I think that the process was taking longer than it does now because everyone was (probably) afraid of stepping on other people's toes, and we didn't know each other that well.

Micheal, Nilgun and Rebecca met at mLearn 2011 last year when we presented our first paper we wrote, so they also have the benefit of having met face to face. Right now the process is a bit more streamlined, and even though papers take about the same amount of time to be researched and to come out, it's definitely got a different vibe :)

I've really enjoyed my collaboration with my MobiMOOC partners (and I hope they have too!). Collaborative research has opened up a few blind spots for me that I would like to further explore on my own (and then bring things back to the group)

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=5#p708And... what is teaching?:2012-06-04T05:47:01+00:00Jenny Mackness

Hi Scott - Please feel free to open new discussion threads as you feel the need.

Jenny

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p704And... what is teaching?:2012-06-04T02:09:52+00:00Scott Johnson

Vanessa
Have to admit my current work experience is tainted by a toxic political atmosphere that is beyond my openly commenting on. It's frustrating to be voiceless when your instinct it to be a contributor. And it distorts my estimation of those who might make for positive contribution at the admin level.

That said, challenges abound here and I'm fascinated by the idea of mentoring. When I was a kid there seemed to be a greater social value placed on giving young people work experience and helpful advice. The way to bring values like that back is to do it and there is plenty of room for volunteers in our district.

In Change 11 someone posted a list of great schools and I keep meaning to go back and read through the list. There are likely to be clues of use to just starting teachers there so I'll post as soon as I find the list.

The more I think about it, the wiser it seems to critique the admin level staff using from the perspective of management studies rather than hybridizing them into academic management oddities. I know people in education hate business management metaphors but this is where most of the admin originates from.

Thanks for the mentor idea.

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p699And... what is teaching?:2012-06-03T20:49:30+00:00Vanessa Vaile

I've seen a few cases of teaching administrators that worked but they started out teaching. Hampshire a private non-profit private requires presidents to be full professors and continue teaching. What you'd assign the former CEO, I'm not quite sure. But, as Chris suggests, they could (with training and supervision) mentor.

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p692And... what is teaching?:2012-06-03T19:54:28+00:00Scott Johnson

Hi Ida,

Just go to reading the whole blog you recommended. Think I'll post it in our office. Part of our job is to takes f2f courses and adapt them for distance delivery on the net. This always involves working with instructors and many of the younger ones help us redo the way the material is presented to fit "their" students. Many older teachers seem content with the old style. Could it be because they've memorized the whole thing and want to stay at this low effort threshold?

Much of which needs changing is going to have to come from the back channels. With large numbers of boomers moving off to retirement all levels of the education will see new faces, which to me indicates a potential for change. Trouble is, the real power base resides behind the scenes in ministries and governing boards who at least where I am are fossilized into place with no incentive to change. On the other hand they are very slow to realize change around them and this might allow some things to happen before they can be stopped.

Change doesn't always have to be driven from the top down. In fact I bet almost no change is top down driven it all comes from the bottom / front-line soldiers anyway. Some of this has to happen as if there was no resistance though. Many of the ideas in that blog were excellent and already proven making them almost risk free for adoption. Maybe we need an "enabling change" discussion group?

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p688And... what is teaching?:2012-06-03T19:53:04+00:00Vanessa Vaile

Oops... this just goes to show that I have no business anywhere near a keyboard when concentration fades with nightfall (the brain fog rolls in).

I meant to write, "You'd probably be less susceptbile than most, but I'd hate to see you undergo the same transformation."

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p687And... what is teaching?: Mentoring?2012-06-03T17:08:52+00:00Cris Crissman

"Maybe if admin were required to keep teaching part time or something that kept them in touch with some ground level function."

I think you're onto something, Vanessa.

I was in a friend's office the other day and spotted a photo of a distinguished-looking guy whom she explained was her mentor. I was envious.

I know that a truly successful mentor-mentee relationship can't be decreed but, perhaps, if the expectations were that an administrator would choose a student or two to mentor each year it would serve to keep them a bit more in touch with reality. I can imagine many variations on this theme . . .

http://vle.openbrookes.net/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=7#p686And... what is teaching?:2012-06-03T01:04:30+00:00Scott Johnson

Everything goes to hell--even the best of us can fall. Shall we discuss a price for selling out? At my age I have some pretty elaborate principals but can only remember portions of them so there's opportunity here for some discounts.

I think that people in admin have separated themselves to the point that they no longer feel part of the educational community. To me, this seems more like a problem in management studies and we are studying them like they were something other than essentially misguided managers. Since everything else revolves metaphors related corporate interests and matters vital to market performance we might start by imagining that it isn't the job of admin to impress the taxpayer and the politicians but to see the students as the rightful shareholders to be serving? this might alter behaviours and realign loyalties back to those who this whole social service is supposedly built for.

Not likely to help. Teaching and admin are two separate worlds. There's such a strong distinction between the learning branch and the public facing admin branch of the operation the two have virtually no interests to share.

This of course represents an opportunity--all broken things do. Since admin only knows what's going based on voices in their head, clever students could be assigned to horse whisper them everywhere on campus on the wonders of modern hands-off management. To keep them isolated we could wall off the classroom wings with those soppy motivational posters that please the poor creatures so much.

Or send them all on retreat. A really long retreat.

It might be possible that older admin have just fallen into the resistance to change that all adult learners can slip into. But change to what? My sense is admin don't even recognize themselves as educators.